Jimmie Davis

James Houston "Jimmie" Davis (11 September 1899-5 November 2000) was Governor of Louisiana (D) from 9 May 1944 to 11 May 1948, succeeding Sam H. Jones and preceding Earl Long, and again from 10 May 1960 to 12 May 1964, succeeding Long and preceding John McKeithen.

Biography
James Houston Davis was born in Beech Springs, Jackson Parish, Louisiana in 1899, one of eleven children. Davis came from a very religious Baptist family, and he was working as a history teacher at the Dodd College for Girls in Shreveport when he decided to become a country music singer. Davis made the song "You Are My Sunshine" famous after recording it in 1939; it is now one of the official state songs of Louisiana, thanks to the efforts of some of his friends in politics. In 1942, he was elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and he became a conservative Southern Democrat; he led the anti-Huey Long faction of the Democratic Party in the state. In 1944, he was elected governor, and he was known to sing at campaign stops. Davis left office in 1948, as governors were limited to only one consecutive term at the time. In 1960, he was re-elected Governor of Louisiana after promising to continue segregation in public school, and he won the support of Earl Long due to Long's rivalry with challenger deLesseps Story Morrison. He supported states' rights and segregation while was in office, and he left office in 1964. He died in 2000.